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Sunday, May 22, 2011

White Chocolate Cupcakes & Turtle Cheesecake Truffles

Ok, this post is loaded with goodies! So, don't miss anything!

First, what have we been up to? Well, we're tending that big ol' garden! Remember that big patch of dirt? There's life!

There is actually toooooo much life. Check out all that grass in there! We expanded the garden this year, so when it was tilled, lots of that grass got under the top soil, and now it's popping out! :) Yay! Not. The front part of the garden is supposed to be sweet corn, but it's having a hard time coming up amidst the grass. There's some little "corny guys" (we like to call 'em that), but not as many as I planted! :)

Ahh, my beans. They're always so nice to me. They grow without a hesitation. Check out the rows... nice, huh? I just pulled weeds/grass.

Peas! They're doing ok... the ends of the rows are plentiful, but there's gaps in the middle... oh well, they have time. And if not, we'll have enough.

Tomatoes!! They're doing ok. I had to replace a few after a freeze awhile back, but now they're lookin' good. And the cages? Thank heavens for Bomgaars in Sioux City. They had these fairly large, heavy duty cages that I grabbed quickly! Hopefully they hold up and don't topple over as they grow.

I enjoyed the "easiness" of pulling weeds with wet soil, but there were entirely too many of these earthworms! Eww!

Ok, are you hungry yet? Let's get to the good stuff!!

What?! Suzie's the good stuff! Look at her! Awww. She is dying for me to take her off the leash in this picture, hence she's sitting so pretty. :)

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped white chocolate by heating it in 30 second intervals in the microwave. Stir well with a fork between each interval and cook only until the chocolate is smooth when stirred.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding in some of the milk and some of the flour mixture, ending with a final addition of flour. Mix until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 325F for 20-23 minutes until a tester comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a fingertip. Cool completely before frosting.

Using a stand mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add white chocolate, vanilla extract, and heavy cream and mix until combined. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches desired consistency. If you want to pipe it, make sure it’s stiff enough to stand up on it’s own.

1. Combine the cream cheese with the graham cracker crumbs. Use a melon baller to scoop up 1 1/4" sized balls to a wax-paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until you've scooped up all of the cream cheese. You should have about 15 balls. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.

2. While the cheesecake balls are freezing, melt the chocolate according to package directions.

3. Using 1 or 2 forks, dip each cheesecake ball into the melted chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip away between the tines. Place the chocolate covered balls back on the wax paper on the baking sheet. Repeat for all cheesecake balls.

4. Top each truffle with pecans. Drizzle caramel over each truffle. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving (up to overnight).

You're gonna make one of these, right? The cupcakes and truffles are so yummy, you just have to.